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puffy

Lifer
Dec 24, 2010
2,511
98
North Carolina
I use a computer that's 4 years old.I know it's old hat by today's standards.but it's what I'm used to.My problem is that last nite the sound quit working.Anyone know if there's a solution to this other than a big repair bill? I would prefer to spend money on a new one than this old one.I would like to hold off on that for a while though if I can figure out how to get the sound back on this one.

 

jfox520

Part of the Furniture Now
May 24, 2013
927
0
You could replace just the sound board on the system. You should be able to pick one up for around $25.00 to $50.00.

 

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
I know this sounds stupid but are you sure the speakers are on and that a cable hasnt come lose? Sometimes a person will accidentally put it on mute and not realize it.

 

numbersix

Lifer
Jul 27, 2012
5,449
53
I know this sounds stupid but are you sure the speakers are on and that a cable hasnt come lose? Sometimes a person will accidentally put it on mute and not realize it.
I used to do tech support and the first thing we always asked our clients was to check ALL connections. As well, be sure to shut down the computer and do a fresh reboot. So many times we assume these things have been done, but often they are not.
Finally, it's possible the sound card became unseated. You should be able to easily open up the computer and re-seat it (ground yourself first tho). If it's a laptop, I wouldn't recommend opening it up.

 

pylorns

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
2,114
352
Austin, Texas
www.thepipetool.com
Ditto . A long time ago I did phone support at Dell. Sound goes bad - you start logically eliminating the variables. Speakers don't work? Try headphones. Try the speakers on another item. Verify its not the speakers.
Does the sound icon have an "x" on it? That can mean its muted or its not detecting something plugged in (usually when sound card is on the motherboard).
Did you have inclement weather - I've seen weather fry certain parts of a system board like the sound card or video, or something else.

 

taerin

Lifer
May 22, 2012
1,851
1
You probably just need to reload the sound driver, it is a common problem with windows for drivers to stop working where the hardware is just fine. It is really good to ask your real life friends and see if any of them know how to troubleshoot operating system problems before you start buying new computers or computer parts. I have almost never seen hardware (other than a hard drive) fail, but every few months a driver fails due to an operating system error on one of our computers. With someone like me, fixing them costs absolutely nothing. Sound and video drivers seem to give me the most issues, they frequently cease working for me in Windows XP (every few months to a year). If that does not fix it, I always re-install the operating system ENTIRELY before buying any hardware components.
Now if your really stumped, take it into the local Best-Buy and just let the Geek Squad deal with it. Their repair bills tend to be steep, but if you only need to do it once every few years, then it is not such a big deal. Now with that said, not every Geek-Squad is reputable, but they will give you a good estimate before repairing. There was a study done on them and some would charge over $200 for a simple cord that was not plugged in, saying something like, it needs a new motherboard or power supply when it clearly did not!

 

undecagon

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 7, 2011
592
3
Chicago, IL
This happens to me from time to time (equally old computer).
Windows, yes? Here's how I fix it in W7.
Right Click on My Computer.

Select "Manage"

On the left, select "Device Manager"

Now, in the middle panel, click "Sound, Video, and Game Controllers"

Your sound card will appear underneath. Right Click on it and say "Disable"

Say yes to the pop ups, and then restart the computer.

Now, get back into Device Manager, and re-select the sound card and say "Enable"
It normally will work.

 

martiniman

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 6, 2012
885
2
Puffy,

What kind of PC is it? Laptop/desktop? Brand and model? Are your speakers built in or seperate?

I'd try headphones first and you could always get small speakers that

will plug in to one jack or another, even usb...

 

martiniman

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 6, 2012
885
2
Puffy,

What kind of PC is it? Laptop/desktop? Brand and model? Are your speakers built in or seperate?

I'd try headphones first and you could always get small speakers that

will plug in to one jack or another, even usb...

 

dochudson

Lifer
May 11, 2012
1,635
12
which OS and have you been regularly applying the updates? did you accidentally 'mute' the sound?

 

puffy

Lifer
Dec 24, 2010
2,511
98
North Carolina
I'm happy to say that following advice and instructions given here the sound card has been reloaded and the sound is back on.Thanks to all of you who cared enough to help.Folks like you are the reason I love this place so much.

 

crazypipe

Lifer
Sep 23, 2012
3,484
0
When you can see yourself clear ,get a new one ,I have a Toshiba Lap Top Satellite L5050-S5983 .

It's about 4 years old works great . Knock on wood :D

 
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